TESTING THE LIMITS

Rodeo star Grady Owen has a new challenge. No-nonsense Alexa Benjamin is tougher than any bull he’s ever faced...but she sure is a whole lot prettier! Not that Grady has time for much between caring for his twin nieces, rebuilding his family’s farm and training. Trouble is, the more he tangles with Lex, the more he wants to win her heart.

Lex is drawn to Grady...in spite of herself. But ever since her bullfighter father died in the ring, she’s determined to never need anyone again. She’s afraid, and Grady is all about facing fear head-on. Taking a chance on this bull rider is unthinkable...but so is the idea of letting him walk away!

“Maybe you’re playing a game, but I’m not.”

Lex closed the distance between them, pointing a finger at Grady.

“Yeah, you are, and we need to be honest with one another.”

“Here’s some honesty.” She reached out and yanked the towel off from around his shoulders, trying to startle the calm expression off his face. Why should he feel calm when she didn’t? He didn’t look massively startled by her unexpected action, but his eyes did narrow a little, so she plunged on. “We are not going out. We are not kissing one another. We are going to retreat to our neutral corners and stay there.”

She wadded up the towel and jammed it back at him.

“Whatever. If you need me, I’ll be in my corner.”

“Why would I need you?”

“One thing I’ve discovered in life, Lex, is that you never know who you might need.”

“And that’s where you’re wrong. I will never need you.” She meant it from the core of her being. Because needing Grady would put her in a very vulnerable position.

And Lex did not do vulnerable.

Dear Reader,

I have a confession—my favorite type of heroine to both read and write about is one that may not be all that easy to love at first. She’s tough and prickly and pushes people away. Why? Because beneath that prickly exterior is a whole lot of vulnerability. And vulnerability is scary. My heroine, Alexa Benjamin, is such a woman. She was raised by her single bullfighter father and grew up on the rodeo circuit, watching her dad prevent disaster—until he had his own disaster in the form of a heart attack while saving a bull rider. Lex isn’t afraid of much...except for losing someone else she loves.

Enter Grady Owen, a bull rider who not only drives Lex crazy with his cocky attitude, but also challenges her on many levels. Lex loves a good challenge and enjoys engaging with Grady...right up until she realizes that her feelings for him are changing, growing deeper, keeping her up at night. She will not allow herself to become involved with someone she may lose, and Grady isn’t the kind of guy who’s going to give up without a fight. The battle is on.

This is my first Mills & Boon American Romance book and I’m so thrilled to be part of the line. I write what I know—small towns, cowboys, rodeos and ranches. Mills & Boon American Romance is the perfect place to do that. I had so much fun writing The Bull Rider Meets His Match, and I hope you enjoy reading Lex and Grady’s story.

I love hearing from readers. Please feel free to contact me via my website, jeanniewatt.com, or my Facebook page, facebook.com/jeannie.watt.1.

Happy Reading!

Jeannie Watt

The Bull Rider

Meets His Match

Jeannie Watt

www.millsandboon.co.uk

JEANNIE WATT lives in a historic Nevada ranching community with her husband, horses, ponies, dogs and cat. When she’s not writing, Jeannie loves to horseback ride, sew vintage fashions and, of course, read romance.

I’d like to dedicate this book to

Kathleen Scheibling, who guided me

through my first Harlequin sale many years ago. Thank you, Kathleen!

It’s good to be working with you again.

Contents

Cover

Back Cover Text

Introduction

Dear Reader

Title Page

About the Author

Dedication

Chapter One

Chapter Two

Chapter Three

Chapter Four

Chapter Five

Chapter Six

Chapter Seven

Chapter Eight

Chapter Nine

Chapter Ten

Chapter Eleven

Chapter Twelve

Chapter Thirteen

Chapter Fourteen

Chapter Fifteen

Extract

Copyright

Chapter One

Alexa Benjamin had yet to see a bull rider who didn’t walk as if he owned the world, and the guy coming up the front walk of her best friend’s house? He looked as if he were in charge of the universe. Never in her twenty-eight years had she encountered anyone as sure of himself as Grady Owen. Nor anyone quite as irritating.

Lex stepped back from the window, gave her shoulders a roll then started toward the front door to head off trouble. Grady had just hit the top step when she walked out onto the porch and took a stance. When he saw her, his expression shifted from good-natured to hard so quickly it would have been comical if she didn’t suspect that he was there to screw up her best friend’s life. Again.

“Lex. What a pleasant surprise.” But there was no hint of friendliness in his gray eyes.

“Same here,” she said, folding her arms over her chest as she studied the man who was not going to get into the house. Like all bull riders, Grady was one tightly packed unit: average height, lean and wiry. Lex knew if she reached out and ran a hand over his arm, or any part of his body for that matter, all she would feel would be sinew and muscle. Sometimes, in the past, she’d felt a subtle urge to do just that, to touch his fascinatingly hard body. But Grady had always had that effect on her. He drove her crazy with his self-absorbed attitude and cockiness, yet a small part of her found him interesting. She’d reminded herself on more than one occasion that some people found major disasters interesting, also.

She raised her chin. “What can I do for you?”

He tipped back his ball cap, giving her a glimpse of the faint scar that crossed his forehead just below his hairline. “I’m here to see Danielle.”

Lex brushed back a few strands of dark hair that the breeze had blown across her face. The rest was still caught in the silver barrette her father had made her shortly before he died.

“Danielle is busy. Up to her neck in wedding plans.” She felt a touch of mean satisfaction. Her friend was marrying a guy who put her first instead of his career. Grady had done the exact opposite.

“So I hear.” He shifted his weight and crossed his arms, mirroring her pose as he eyed her up and down, his gaze challenging. Fine. Bring it on. Lex loved nothing more than a good challenge. “And you’re still her watchdog?”

“I’m her friend.” Lex spoke lightly, but there was an edge of steel in her voice.

“I just want to talk to her.”

“But you don’t have to talk now.”

“What’s wrong with now?”

“Here’s what’s wrong with now,” she said, pointing a finger at him. “Her mom, her grandma and her great-grandma are in the kitchen with her, going over photos of their weddings. I am not going to have you, the former fiancé, busting in and upsetting any of them.” Danielle’s grandma, Lorraine Perry, was the closest thing Lex had ever had to a grandma of her own, and she would not see her upset. Or Danielle, or her mother, Mae. Great-granny...Great-granny could probably take care of Grady on her own, and if he persisted in hanging around, Lex might just call her out here.

“I understand.” But he didn’t move. He had that stubborn bull rider expression on his face. That “the odds are against me but I will prevail” look. “If you give me her phone number, I’ll call her and set up a time.”

Lex couldn’t help smirking at him. “I don’t think so.”

Grady looked over her shoulder as if willing Danielle to come to the door and see what was going on. When he looked back at Lex, his expression was once again hard, his gray eyes deadly. “What happens between me and Danielle is none of your business. It isn’t now, and it wasn’t back then.”

Lex merely tilted her head, unimpressed. “I know a train wreck when I see it coming. You have train wreck written all over you.”

“And you have controlling...”

“Bitch written all over me?” she asked smoothly, daring him to agree out loud.

“Your words. Not mine.”

“I bet.” He wasn’t all that close, but as the breeze wafted over them, his scent hit her nostrils—soap and guy and maybe some kind of aftershave—and it made her once again conscious of him in ways she’d rather not be. It was an unsettling feeling, this odd prickle of awareness that seemed to come out of nowhere. Especially when he was looking at her so coldly.

“I’m going to see Danielle.”

“I’m sure you are,” she said. “But it’s not going to be right now.”

Grady’s mouth flattened even more as he cocked a speculative eyebrow at her. “Good talking to you, Lex.” He turned and marched down the bumpy walk to the gate, and Lex decided it was too much to hope that he tripped over one of the concrete edges pushed up by tree roots.

Not a very charitable thought, but Grady Owen had turned Danielle’s life inside out only a few years before, and while Lex knew that her friend could fight her own fights, she saw no reason for her to do so. Not when she was there to do it for her.

Grady’s classic Ford F-250 roared to life—literally roared, thanks to the straight exhaust pipes—and he wheeled the truck in a circle then pulled out of the driveway. Only then did Lex go back into the house.

“Was that UPS?” Danielle called, poking her blond head out of the kitchen. Her normally serene expression was a bit frazzled, and Lex was glad she’d sent Grady on his way. Wedding plans were stressful enough without the former fiancé being involved.

“Just a guy who was lost and needed some directions,” Lex said as she followed her friend into the cozy kitchen and took her place at the table strewn with wedding photos. She’d fess up to Danielle later, but right now she wanted to get back to the business of deciding whose wedding dress would best be altered to fit Danielle on her big day. In her opinion, none of the vintage dresses would work, but it was up to Danielle to either pick one or tell her mom and grandmother and great-grandmother no, thanks. It was Lex’s job to pour the wine after the task was done.

* * *

GRADY PULLED UP to his sister’s house and parked the truck behind the wind-damaged barn. He stepped over a few boards as he got out of the truck, thankful that Annie and the girls were still out grocery shopping. He’d yet to shake the black mood brought on by dealing with the she-devil. Who did Lex Benjamin think she was? He was pretty certain that Danielle wouldn’t have broken their engagement if it hadn’t been for Lex. They would have had troubles in the beginning, no doubt. All married couples did, but they would have worked them out. Thanks to Ms. Benjamin, they never had a chance. She’d been against their relationship from day one and had never been shy about saying so.

He walked into the kitchen and hung his hat on one of the pegs by the door, only to have the peg fall off the wall. His hat hit the floor at his feet and the peg rolled across the worn tiles, stopping under his mom’s antique maple table.

Even though his sister had a way with paint and bright accents, there was no getting around the fact that their childhood home was in deep need of a monetary infusion. The place had been run-down when Annie moved in, and even though she’d made it look cheery, nothing had been done to fix the real problems—leaky windows, worn flooring, aging plumbing.

Grady picked up his hat and the peg, setting both on the counter as he tried to remember where he’d last seen the wood glue. The cellar? He started down the steps, not liking the way they sagged and creaked beneath his weight. He’d only been home for two days, but he already felt as if he’d made a mistake spending his winters practicing and working in Oklahoma. He should have hung closer to home, taking care of matters such as loose pegs and saggy steps.

And relationships.

Yeah. Relationships.

Maybe if he’d taken one season off, given Danielle time to get used to his career, things would have worked out between them. But he hadn’t been able to make that sacrifice.

Stupid move.

And Lex. She’d been against their relationship from the beginning, and Danielle had listened to her. They’d been close friends for as long as he could remember, which had always struck him as odd because the two women were polar opposites. Danielle was fair—blond haired, blue-eyed—sweet, accommodating. Lex had a mass of dark hair and hazel eyes and she was in no way sweet or accommodating. She was hard. Brittle almost. But that mouth...he had to admit to being fascinated by those soft, full lips that seemed to be in a permanent pout whenever she was concentrating on something other than taking him out.

Grady reached for the cord to turn on the overhead light as he stepped onto the stone floor.

Shelves of home canning and dry goods lined both sides of the rock-walled space. At the far wall, a couple of old bureaus stood on either side of the hot water heater, and Grady crossed to them, opening drawers until he found one loaded with string, coils of wire and a few basic hand tools. An ancient bottle of wood glue lay on its side.

He started back up the creaky stairs with the bottle. Another project he’d tackle before he left.

After gluing the peg back in place and checking to see if the others needed reinforcing, Grady opened the fridge and pulled out a beer, then put it back and closed the door again. His stomach was still in a knot, and beer wasn’t going to change that. Hammering might, though, so he changed into his work clothes. He planned to head over to Hennessey’s ranch to take a look at the practice bulls later that afternoon, but he had time to knock some of the damaged wood off the frame of the barn before he left.

His sister had really had an odd run of luck over the past few months. The company where she’d worked for five years folded, and while she’d found a part-time job, she still hadn’t found a full-time position that paid well enough to support her small family. The cows she’d hoped to sell to tide her over had come down with an ailment that required quarantine, and then, to top things off, a freak tornado had torn through the area, knocking down hundred-year-old trees and damaging only two buildings in the entire valley—Annie’s garage and small barn. That was when his sister had started to crumble, and Grady knew he had to come home.

He and Annie owned the place outright and hadn’t insured the buildings for replacement value, so he was the one doing the rebuilding and watching the girls while Annie went to work part-time at the library. He had a feeling that babysitting was going to be more of a workout than riding practice bulls. The girls took after him, it seemed. Lots of energy and lots of ideas.

Despite his dark mood, he smiled as he grabbed his work gloves. He didn’t want to see his nieces become bull riders—too much risk—but he was going to see to it that they got a proper foundation in whatever they chose to funnel all that energy into. Annie and the girls were all he had right now, and he was going to make certain their lives were good.

* * *

DANIELLE GATHERED UP delicate floral teacups—she’d gotten out the good china for her wedding gown summit—and carefully hand-washed them while Lex studied the photos on the table. The five women had not come to a consensus as to which wedding dress could best be altered for the ceremony, and Lex wasn’t certain they ever would.

“The 1980s is out.” She pushed the photo aside.

“Agreed,” Danielle said with feeling.

“Which one do you like?” Lex asked. Danielle had spent most of the meeting pointing out the merits of each dress and trying not to hurt feelings, so Lex had no idea what she was really thinking. Danielle excelled at tact.

“I like Great-granny’s, but she’s smaller than me and I don’t think it’ll work.” Great-granny’s was the best of the group. Designed in the mid-1940s, when fabric rationing had still been in effect, it was made of heavy satin, with a narrow skirt, a sweetheart neckline and broad shoulders that could be altered fairly easily. Or so Danielle said. Lex knew little about sewing.

“Which leaves mid-1960s.” Lex shrugged. “It’s not a bad dress.” It had a waistline and full skirt. Lots of lace and satin...but it wasn’t the right kind of dress for Danielle, who was toned and leggy and needed a simpler body-skimming dress.

Danielle wiped her hands on an embroidered towel. “How am I going to tell them that I want my own gown?”

“By taking a deep breath and blurting out the words?”

Danielle nodded and sat at the table, idly picking up the photo of the 1980s dress. “Mom was beautiful, even if the shoulders on this dress make her look as if she’s about to go out for a pass.”

“I see no way you could alter this dress and have any of it left.”

“Pretty much I would rip the sleeves off.”

“And the butt ruffle?”

“Definitely out.” Danielle set down a photo and met Lex’s gaze. “Who was at the door earlier?”

There was no sense hedging. “Grady.”

“I thought so. I recognized the sound of the truck. Did he tell you what he wanted?”

“To see you. Sorry if I overstepped by sending him on his way. I didn’t want to upset anyone.”

“No. I’m glad you did.” An unreadable look flickered across Danielle’s face, followed by a sigh. “I guess I need to see him before he hits the road again.”

“You don’t have to.”

“I did break up with him over the phone.” And she’d made the right choice, but that hadn’t kept her from feeling bad for weeks afterward. He’d chosen rodeo over her. Hard to forgive that, but Danielle was the forgiving sort. Far more so than Lex.

“You owe him nothing.”

“I know,” Danielle said simply.

There was a lot more Lex wanted to say on the subject, but why? When push came to shove, it wasn’t her business—even though she never wanted to see Danielle that unhappy again. Ever.

“I need to get home,” she said. “The menagerie will be hungry.” She stood and picked up her rhinestone-studded leather bag—one of the top sellers at their Western-themed store, Annie Get Your Gun. “I’ll see you tomorrow morning.”

They met every Wednesday to discuss business, drink tea and share any gossip that Danielle picked up from her grandmother, who owned the building where their boutique was located. But all the gossip had already been passed along during the wedding dress summit, so the meeting would be all business tomorrow.

“Great. I’m looking forward to some nonwedding talk.”

“That works for me.” Lex gave the photos one last look, then met Danielle’s eyes. “Be strong.” She was talking about both wedding gowns and ex-fiancés.

“Always.”

Lex certainly hoped so.

Chapter Two

Lex tried not to worry about Danielle on the drive home, but the Owen Farm was halfway between her place and Danielle’s, so it was hard not to worry when she drove by and caught sight of Grady’s truck parked behind the wind-damaged barn. He’d been driving that same truck since high school—not that he’d been home to drive it even once during the past two years. It was as if after Danielle had given him his walking orders, he’d given up on Gavin, Montana, and the people there.

She pulled into her long driveway, smiled as the horses, knowing that they were about to be fed, cantered across the pasture. She loved her ranch, hated that she was now on it alone. But it wasn’t being alone that bothered her—it was the fact that her father was never coming back that ruined her. It’d been just her and her dad for so long that it was still hard to accept that he wasn’t there.

During the school year, when he’d been on the bull-riding circuit fighting bulls, doing his best to keep a half-ton animal from stomping the cowboy that had just ridden him, she’d often stayed with Danielle’s family. After Lex hit high school, she became the farm-sitter during the school year. When summer came, she’d traveled with her dad. By necessity, the father-daughter trips had become fewer and farther between after she’d gotten her first real job, but as luck would have it, she had been there for the final trip. The one when he’d died in the arena—not from a bull injury, but from a heart attack after saving a guy who’d been hung up in the rigging and beaten like a rag doll as the bull attempted to knock him free.

Even now, years later, the memory made her tear up—especially if it came at a time when she was worried about something else, such as, say, a close friend who was too nice for her own good. Lex blinked hard a few times before parking her truck next to her dad’s. She had two precious reminders of her father on the ranch that she refused to get rid of—his truck and his rank old horse, Snuff.

Three dogs bounded out from behind the house when she got out of the truck, two border collies and a rambunctious dusty brown terrier that’d shown up on the ranch and refused to leave. A small black-and-white cat trotted behind the dogs. Felicity was another orphan, found abandoned at the county dump before her eyes were open.

“Hey, gang,” Lex said as she closed the truck door. The dogs professed great joy at her return, while Felicity stood back, waiting for Lex to scoop her up on her way into the house. Once there, she shed her town clothes and climbed into a pair of well-worn jeans and a sweatshirt. She popped a John Deere ball cap on her head, grabbed her least offensive pair of gloves out of the basket by the door and headed back out the door to feed.

Somehow she had collected way too many animals after her father died, but she didn’t have the heart to let any of them go. It wasn’t as if she couldn’t afford to feed them. Her father had left her the ranch in excellent shape financially and he’d had life insurance, which she’d invested. Lex was pretty much set for life, as long as she managed the property in a sensible manner, and since she was all about sensible, that wasn’t a problem. She started across the gravel drive leading to the barn and was met halfway by two Mediterranean donkeys, which brayed at her, and a pygmy goat that bumped the back of her legs as she walked.

Okay, maybe she wasn’t totally sensible, but everyone had their foibles.

Followed by her entourage, Lex tossed hay, dumped grain, checked water troughs. The donkeys and goat abandoned her once they had their rations, but Felicity and the dogs—Pepper, Ginger and little brown Dave the Terror—stayed close to her throughout the daily routine. Once she got back to the house, she held the door open. The dogs raced in and Felicity turned and walked across the porch to a spot in the sun.

Lex understood. An independent woman could only take so much social interaction before welcoming time to herself. She was the same way, although lately the house seemed a little too lonely. It was the anniversary, she told herself as she changed back out of her feeding clothes and pulled a loose cotton dress over her head. Two years since she’d watched her father collapse onto the dirt of the arena, clutching his chest.

Last year she’d told herself that the pain would ease by the time the next anniversary rolled around, and it had, but not as much as she’d hoped. It hurt to be alone and it hurt to know she’d never again hear her father’s boots crossing the front porch as he returned from a trip.

In that regard, alone sucked.

* * *

GRADY WAS JUST putting the finishing touches on dinner when a car pulled into the drive. It wasn’t until it parked in front of the house instead of near the barn that he realized it wasn’t Annie and her girls returning from the big shopping trip in Bozeman. He didn’t recognize the car, but he definitely recognized the blond getting out of it. Danielle. Tall, cool, beautiful, just as he remembered her.

He pulled the dish towel off his shoulder and dropped it on the kitchen table on his way to the door, glad once again that his sister and nieces were late getting home.

Danielle smiled up at him as he opened the door, but it wasn’t the bright open smile he was used to. No. There was a definite touch of wariness in her expression, amplified by the taut way she held her body. Granted, two years had passed since he’d last seen her, but he was surprised at how unfamiliar she seemed, while his encounter with Lex had been like old times. Bad old times.

“Something smells good,” she said instead of hello.

“My famous pot roast.” He stepped back, silently inviting her into Annie’s cozy kitchen. She came inside, and he closed the door. Then for two or three silent seconds they simply stood, like two complete strangers that unexpectedly found themselves sharing a small space. Danielle cleared her throat and met his gaze.

“Lex said you came by today.”

He hadn’t expected that. He’d figured Lex would do her best to shield her friend from the evilness that was him and never mention his visit. “I did. She said you and your grandmas were busy talking wedding plans.”

She gave a slow nod. “That’s true.”

“Good guy?”

“The best.” She spoke with conviction. “I’m engaged. I’m happy.”

“And you don’t want me to mess things up.”

An expression of relief crossed her face as he said what was obviously on her mind. “In a nutshell, yes.”

Fair enough. When she’d broken up with him, over the phone, since he’d been in the middle of his season and she’d apparently taken all she could take, she sounded torn, as if she wasn’t entirely certain she was doing the right thing. But now...now she looked like a woman who knew her mind.

“I won’t mess up your life.”

“Thank you. I didn’t know if you’d come to see me—” her expression shifted to a tentative one “—with thoughts of us getting together again.”

“The thought might have crossed my mind.” It definitely had. He’d wondered more than once if they might now be in a place where they could reevaluate their relationship...maybe even pick it up again.

She gave him a suspicious look. “Might have?”

“Well, I hadn’t seen you in a while, but I thought about you a lot. I wondered...you know...” He gave a small shrug. “I wanted to see you one more time. To make sure.”

“And now?”

It was funny how standing here in this kitchen with Danielle, the flesh and blood Danielle, not the Danielle in his memories, made things so much clearer. He felt no strong urge to take her in his arms, hold her close, ask if it was too late. “I’m happy for you.”

Her expression cleared at the sincerity in his voice. “Thank you.” She reached out to gently touch his shoulder. “We were never meant to be, Grady.”

“What if I hadn’t ridden bulls?” A small part of him had to know if it had been the bulls.

“Ultimately...I don’t think it would have mattered.”

“I think you’re right.” He’d thought he loved her, but he hadn’t been able to sacrifice for her. “We had some good times.”

“We had some excellent times. You taught me a thing or two about taking risks.” Danielle smiled at him, the old smile he remembered so well. “If you’re comfortable with it, I’ll send you a wedding invitation.”

“I’d like that. Thanks.” He realized then that it felt totally right for him to be in the audience instead of at the altar on Danielle’s wedding day. He had an affection for her, deep respect for her, but he knew in his gut they didn’t belong together.

After she drove away, Grady went back to the gravy simmering on top of the stove and gave it a stir. Strange how things worked out. For two years he’d essentially stopped dating. He’d used Danielle as the standard by which he’d measured all women, and no one had measured up.

And now it seemed that his standard had been something he’d worked up in his head, not the woman he’d once thought he’d loved.

* * *

ANNIE GET YOUR GUN smelled of potpourri, spices and flowers, and Lex always inhaled deeply as she walked into the homey space she and Danielle had worked so hard to create after she’d lost her father and Danielle broke up with Grady. She loved this place.

On the far wall was a framed poster of Annie Oakley with her rifle, embellished with paint and glitter. The store itself was filled with quirky Western-themed decor items as well as personal accessories, books, jewelry, T-shirts and fun gift ideas. Most of the stuff they purchased outright, but they had consignment stock—antiques and small furniture items—as well as items that Danielle and Lex made themselves. Lex’s father had been a silversmith, and Lex used his tools to create funky metal jewelry accented with beads and gemstones. Danielle made one-of-a-kind collector’s quilts, and Kelly, their one employee, was a potter.

“Is that you, Lex?” Danielle’s voice came from the back room, where they kept extra stock as well as a refrigerator and electric teakettle.

“Yep. I got the scones.” She shook the white bag. The pleasant aroma of the cinnamon tea Danielle always made for their weekly business meetings wafted from the back room. She set the bag on the antique table they used for their conferences and sat down.

“Kelly won’t be here for the meeting,” Danielle said as she came out of the back room carrying a tray with the teapot and cups. She smiled tightly as she approached, the picture of stress, and Lex’s first thought was, What did Grady do now? She’d had a feeling that Danielle would contact him after she left, just to finish unfinished business. She kept her mouth shut, though, as Danielle set down the tray and opened the bag of scones to arrange them on a porcelain plate embellished with small cowboy boots. When she finished pouring the tea, she finally met Lex’s gaze.

“You look like you could use a shot of whiskey in your tea,” Lex said.

Danielle waved her hand dismissively. “I told my mom and grandmas that I was going to buy my own dress this morning. I hate disappointing any of them.”

Okay. At least it wasn’t Grady that was bothering her. And as for Danielle buying her own dress, it had to be done. That ’80s dress...

“I have a feeling,” Lex said, raising her cup, “that your mom might have disappointed her mom, who in turn disappointed Great-granny, since they all have their own dresses.”

“Good point.” Danielle frowned and then said, “Great point. Anyway, now I’m going to be gown shopping, and I was hoping you might be able to squeeze some time in to help me.”

“As long as it’s not Saturday morning, I’m at your disposal.”

“Big plans?”

“I promised Jared I’d bring quiet horses to the Kids’ Club riding lessons that start this weekend.” Her only cousin, a single dad, worked long hours in a machine shop during the week and then volunteered for the local recreation program on his weekends. “After all the help he gave me after Dad died, I figured it was the least I could do.”

“Are you helping with lessons?”

“Just providing mounts. Jared has high school kids helping with lessons.” Lex frowned at Danielle. “Where is Kelly?” Who was the kind of person who never missed work, never missed a meeting.

Danielle’s mouth flattened as she said, “Job interview.”

Lex set her cup back on the saucer. “No.”

“Afraid so. County courthouse. Primo benefits.”

“Wow.” They paid Kelly fairly well but weren’t in a position to offer anything better than bare-bones benefits. “What now?”

“She’ll know tomorrow if she gets the job and has promised to do everything she can to help us find someone.”

“I don’t think we can find someone like her.” Kelly made every customer feel special, even the crotchety ones like Mrs. Lacombe, who came to browse and complain about prices at least once a week.

“I know,” Danielle said wearily, “but we have to think about what’s best for Kelly.”

* * *

OF COURSE KELLY got the job. Danielle called later in the afternoon to break the news to Lex, who was just heading out to feed.

“I can help out at the store until we get someone.” Lex loved stocking the store and guiding the business decisions, but she wasn’t the warm and fuzzy people person that Kelly and Danielle were. She’d been in deep mourning for her father when she and Danielle started the business, and because of that, Danielle had taken charge of the day-to-day operations. She also pulled in a larger percentage of the proceeds. It worked well. Danielle had more income and Lex had the time she needed to focus on her farm.

“I have an idea,” Danielle said slowly. “What do you think of interviewing Annie Owen?”

“Annie Owen?” Lex barely kept herself from saying, Are you nuts? Instead she said, “Why Annie?”

“Her name is perfect. Annie?” Lex rolled her eyes and waited for the real reason. “We know her. She needs a full-time job. It would help her and it would help us.”

And also bring Grady, Annie’s brother, firmly back into Danielle’s sphere.

“But,” Danielle said, “if you have a problem with hiring her, I won’t call.”

Lex could almost hear her dad saying, Step back, as he often did when Lex felt the urge to fix matters that weren’t necessarily her concern. She liked Annie Owen, had nothing against her, except for her brother. And honestly, the only thing she had against him was that he’d been utterly selfish in regards to her friend.

Let things play out. Stop trying to save everyone.

Fine. She’d back off...but that didn’t mean she wouldn’t remain vigilant. She smiled at Danielle and gave a dismissive shrug. “If you’re good with it, I’m good with it.”

“If you’re concerned about me and Grady, don’t be. I went to see him.”

“I figured you would.”

“Yes. And I felt...nothing.” Danielle gave a small shrug. “I’d bet the store that Grady felt the same.”

“Well...that’s good news.” Very good news. No more worrying about her friend getting mixed up with a selfish bull rider.

“It is. And now there’s no reason not to hire Annie.”

Lex gave a slow nod. “I agree.”

“Great. I’ll see if she wants to meet us at the store tomorrow.”

* * *

“ARE YOU SURE about this?” Annie asked, casting Grady a concerned look as she wrapped a blue silk scarf loosely around her neck.

All of her looks seemed to be concerned lately. Stress had taken a toll on his sister. She didn’t smile as much as she used to, didn’t seem to feel as bulletproof. She was dressed for her interview in clothes that Grady recognized, and he hadn’t been home for two years, which made him wonder if he should have pressed harder for her to take the money he’d offered her. Annie had her pride, but there came a point where accepting monetary help was a matter of common sense. The house needed work, she needed some new clothes and there were her two young daughters to care for.

“I’m sure,” Grady said with an easy grin.

“Emily offered to take care of them.” Emily Mansanti was the girls’ usual afternoon babysitter, who’d happened to have a free morning today.

“Why spend the money when you have me?” He wasn’t fool enough to add, “How hard could it be to take care of two little girls?” The past several days had taught him exactly how hard it could be. Kristen and Katie put new meaning into the word energetic. Although they were blond-haired-green-eyed images of their sensible brown-haired, blue-eyed mother, they seemed to have inherited their uncle Grady’s sense of adventure. And now he was getting an idea of the challenges he must have presented his own parents. Constant energy was exhausting.

Annie gave her head a small shake. “Just making sure,” she said as the girls walked into the kitchen.

“Good luck on your job,” Kristen said, hugging Annie around the waist.

“I don’t have it yet, sweetie, but I’m going to give it a shot.”

“We still get to go to riding lessons, right?” Katie piped up. “If you get the job.”

“I’m going to take you to lessons,” Grady said.

Before the girls could respond, Annie said, “He’ll take you to lessons if you behave while I’m gone. If you don’t...” She held up a finger in a warning gesture, and both girls nodded solemnly.

Somewhere along the line Annie had shifted from easygoing sister to strict mom.

“You’re going to be late,” Grady said.

“Yeah. Wish me luck.”

“Good luck,” Grady said. He’d told himself a couple of times that morning that they wouldn’t have called her in for an interview if she wasn’t a serious candidate. He didn’t trust Lex, but he did trust Danielle, and the fact that she’d arranged for the interview after they talked made him feel hopeful for his sister’s chances. Heaven knew she was due for a break.

“Do we get to help you build the garage?” Kristen asked as soon as the door shut behind her mother.

“Please?” Katie asked. “We like to hammer.”

“Yeah,” Grady said. In fact, that sounded like a fine idea. They could hammer nails into a board and he could get some work done on the frame. He found two lightweight tack hammers in the tool box and two sturdy boards. After partially hammering ten nails into each board, he cautioned the girls to grip the hammer with both hands and to never hold the nails with their fingers. He also told them to tap, not wallop.

Maybe he’d given a few too many strict instructions because after ten minutes, the girls became bored with mindless hammering and wanted another job. It didn’t take long for him to realize that he wasn’t going to get a lot done while they were there helping him.

“What else can you guys do while I work?” he asked. An idea struck him. “Hey, shouldn’t you be reading books for that library award thing your mom told me about?” After the twins had gone to bed the previous evening, Annie had explained to Grady that her girls were dead set on winning the local library’s Dedicated Reader Awards. It was a big deal in town, and part of Grady’s duties would be to sign off on their reading sheets and take them to the library when they ran low on books.

“We finished our books last night,” Kristen said. “Mom’s picking up more today.”

“Um...” Katie frowned a little. “We could clean our rooms.”

Grady lifted a skeptical eyebrow. No kids he knew of volunteered to clean their rooms. “What’s the catch?”

“It’s almost time for allowance and if our rooms aren’t clean, we don’t get allowance.”

Annie really had become a hard-ass. But she always had been a neat freak, so Grady understood the clean-rooms-linked-to-allowance thing.

“Cool.” They’d clean their rooms, get their allowance and he’d get some framing done. Win-win. “If you’re done by lunch and do a good job, I’ll add extra money to your allowance.”

The girls exchanged excited glances, then started running toward the house, laughing as they went.

Feeling rather smug, Grady went back to framing. He figured it was almost two hours until lunch. The girls would probably start cleaning their rooms, then segue into a session of cartoon streaming as they’d done the previous evening while he and Annie discussed futures—hers and his. His sister was struggling, but she wasn’t giving up. He was somehow going to help her without making her feel beholden. Neat trick, that, but he’d figure it out. In the meantime, he would rebuild the garage, patch the barn and reinforce the cellar stairs. He owned half the property, and it was only right that he help with the upkeep, despite Annie pointing out that he didn’t live there so he didn’t reap any benefits. He was reaping them now.

Grady lost himself in the building process as the sun climbed in the sky. He glanced at his watch and realized almost two hours had passed since the girls went inside. He was hungry and thirsty, and he imagined the girls were probably also in need of lunch.

He pulled his ball cap off as he approached the house and slapped it on his thigh. Annie had made sun tea the day before, and he needed about a gallon of it right now. He pushed open the back door into the kitchen and then stopped dead in his tracks as his boots hit a puddle and two pairs of startled green eyes connected with his.

“What the—” He barely cut off the curse. Swallowing hard, he stepped over the wide puddle of tea and broken glass. “Hey! Don’t touch the glass,” he yelled as Katie started picking up the pieces with her bare hands. She instantly dropped the shards and stepped back, putting her hands behind her. Grady walked through the mess and took her hands in his, examining them closely. Other than being sticky from something chocolaty, they seemed fine.

“All right,” he said once he was satisfied he wouldn’t be rendering first aid. “How did this hap...” The word trailed off as he suddenly became aware of the condition of the rest of the kitchen, which had been close to spotless when Annie had left. Egad. Where had all that chocolate come from?

He shifted his gaze back to his nieces, unable to find words. They seemed similarly afflicted until Kristen blinked at him, all wide green eyes and stricken expression. “We wanted to surprise you with a cake.”

Chapter Three

Indeed, there were signs of cake making in the form of chocolate batter pretty much everywhere, including the front of the fridge, the cabinets and the floor. No fewer than five bowls were stacked in the sink, along with a gooey eggbeater lying on the counter. Grady picked it up gingerly and set it in the bowls.

“We aren’t allowed to use the mixer,” Katie explained, casually wiping her gooey hands down the sides of her pink jeans.

Grady could only imagine the havoc they could have created with an electric mixer tossing batter around the room. “I see.” He rubbed his jaw as he took in the carnage. If he was quick, there was an off chance they could get the mess cleaned up before Annie got home.

“Here’s the deal, guys. I want you to stay out of here until I get the floor cleaned up, then—”

The sound of a car interrupted his words.

“Mom,” the girls said simultaneously in a hushed tone.

“Sounds like it,” he agreed, heading for the door and shooting a look out the window. It was indeed Annie who’d pulled into the drive. He turned back to the two wide-eyed girls. “Why don’t you two wait in the living room?”

They turned without argument and walked side by side down the hall. Katie had a perfect chocolate handprint on her backside. They’d just disappeared into the living room when he heard Kristen say in a low voice, “She’s going to be mad.”

No doubt.

Grady pulled open the door to take the heat.

Annie practically danced up the sidewalk. “I got the job!”

“Congratulations,” Grady said, forcing a quick smile. He glanced over his shoulder at the house.

“What happened?” Annie’s voice instantly went flat. The Mom Voice.

“Well...” Grady shrugged. “Slight mishap. The ice tea jug got knocked out of the fridge and broke.”

Annie paled. “No one got hurt?”

“No.” That was the good news. “But the mess is still there.”

“It happens,” Annie said as she headed past him to the door.

“And the girls made a cake.”

She stopped dead and turned back to him. “With supervision...right?”

He gave a small cough. “It was kind of an independent project.”

A curse slipped out of Annie’s lips followed by an even more colorful curse when she opened the door. For a moment she simply stood cataloging the damage to her kitchen. “Did they ask?”

“Uh...”

“Answer enough. Where are they?”

“Living room.”

She carefully skirted the broken glass in her heels before marching toward the living room. Grady thought about intervening, since he had vague memories of him and Annie doing the exact same thing, minus the broken tea jug, but decided not to risk the wrath of his sister.

Half an hour later the kitchen was cleaned, the girls fed and playing on their swing set and Grady was waiting to hear that he was an irresponsible uncle. Instead Annie opened the fridge and looked inside. “Good. Beer. Do you want one?”

Annie didn’t normally partake at home, and Grady hated the thought that he’d driven her to drink. “Sure.”

She pulled out two bottles and set them on the counter. He automatically stepped over to open them and then handed one to Annie before touching the top of his bottle to hers. “Congratulations, sis. I wish your homecoming had been better.”

“Yes. That’s what I want to talk to you about.” She held the bottle in front of her but had yet to take a sip. “I have a favor to ask.”

“Yeah?” he asked cautiously.

“I know you plan to practice at Hennessey’s while you’re here, and you’re going to be busy with the garage and barn and I know today was a bit of a disaster, but—” she pressed her lips together “—could you also watch the girls in the mornings? They have their regular sitter for the afternoons, but she can’t do mornings.”

Grady shrugged as if watching the twins were the easiest thing in the world. “Sure. Not a problem.”

Annie’s face broke into a wide smile. “I don’t know about that, but it would really help me out.”

“Like I said, not a problem. I came home to help.”

“You came home to rebuild the garage and barn, since I underinsured the outbuildings.”

“We underinsured the outbuildings.” Grady went to sit at the kitchen table, but Annie stayed where she was, leaning against the newly cleaned counter. “I don’t mind watching the girls. I learned a lot today, and I can’t see this—” he gestured at the kitchen “—happening again.”

“They’ll think of something else,” Annie said matter-of-factly. “It’s not an easy job keeping them out of trouble.”

“I can handle it.” He hoped. “I’d even keep them in the afternoons if you want.”

“I need to keep my sitter booked or I’ll lose her during the school year.” And she couldn’t count on him then, because he was leaving for a few months at the end of the summer to take part in the traveling Bull Extravaganza Buck-Off.

“Yeah. That makes sense.” He grinned at her. It’d been a while since he saw Annie so happy. “I’m glad that you got the job.”

“I think I’m going to like it. A lot.” She shot him a sideways look after taking a sip of her beer. “Does it bother you that Danielle’s getting married?”

“I thought it might, but it doesn’t.”

She regarded him for a moment, using her truth-detector look. The same look she’d used whenever he said things like, Honest, I haven’t said a word to Joey Barton about you having a crush on him.

“You sound pretty sure about that,” Annie said. “What changed ‘it might’ to ‘it doesn’t’?”

“She stopped by and we talked. It’s pretty clear to me now that when I left two years ago, I accidentally did the best thing for both of us.”

“So you have no issue with me working for her?”

“Of course not.” Actually, he had more of an issue with her working for Lex, but she was a silent partner, as he understood it, so really he had no issue at all. All he wanted was for his sister to be employed and secure.

* * *

ANNIE OWEN’S FIRST day of work was a typical summer Monday at the store. Crotchety Mrs. Lacombe stopped by before lunch to admire the quilts and complain bitterly about the prices, even though she was perhaps the wealthiest person in town. Annie did her best to assist the woman, but nothing she did was right. Lex wanted to rescue her, but when you worked in retail, you had to learn to deal with the Mrs. Lacombes of the world. Annie looked as if her smile were literally frozen in place by the time the woman left—empty-handed as usual, a broken salesperson in her wake.

She was barely out the door when four ladies in their midfifties, wearing Yellowstone National Park T-shirts, came in and started oohing and aahing over the Western-themed memorabilia. And, thankfully, they were buyers, so Annie came away from her second retail encounter feeling a lot better about her sales abilities.

“I’ve never really spoken to Mrs. Lacombe before,” Annie said after the Yellowstone women went on their way, each carrying a paper shopping bag filled with gifts for children and grandchildren. “Now I know why,” she added with feeling.

Lex fought a smile. She hadn’t expected Annie to be so candid. She liked it.

“Mrs. Lacombe can be trying,” Lex agreed as she opened the small refrigerator and pulled out the salad and sandwiches she’d brought for lunch. Annie had been given strict instructions not to bring lunch the first day. “Danielle doesn’t like it when I help her, because there’s usually smoke rolling off my back by the time she leaves but I haven’t blown yet.”

“Does she ever buy anything?” Annie asked as Danielle came into the workroom.

Lex and Danielle exchanged thoughtful glances. “I think I sold her a set of pot holders once,” Lex said. “Right after we opened.”

“And I sold her a vase,” Danielle said. “The one we’d marked down so many times that if we’d marked it down again, we would have had to pay the person who took it.”

Annie laughed. “So she only comes in to browse.”

“And browbeat,” Lex added with a small grimace. “She’s lonely, so we kind of...endure.” An odd expression crossed Annie’s face, as if she hadn’t expected Lex to say something insightful. Or sensitive. Which made her wonder what Grady had said about her.

It didn’t matter.

The lunch hour was devoid of customers, so the three women were able to eat without interruption. Danielle did point out that normally they considered that a bad thing. “We’ve had a good spring and early summer, though,” she said, “so this is nice.”

The words were barely out of her mouth when the back door opened and Great-granny came in, wearing immaculate jeans and a neatly pressed red gingham Western shirt. She peeked through the workroom door into the shop. “Good. We’re alone.”

“What’s up?” Danielle asked.

“I have a color question.” Great-granny pulled a handful of hardware store paint color cards out of her purse and started arranging them on the table in front of Danielle as if she were dealing out a game of solitaire. “I’ve been looking at bridesmaid dresses. When you say pink, which part of the spectrum are you aiming at?” She laid down the last card and stood back, hands on her narrow hips.

“Well,” Danielle said, briefly meeting Lex’s gaze before lowering it to the sea of pink in front of her, “I’m not certain, so that is a very good question.” She studied the paint chips—Great-granny had the whole range here, from rose to coral, petal to shocking. “Wow. Um...”

There was a knock on the back door then, and Lex tore herself away from the pink debate to answer it, finding herself face-to-face with Grady Owen once she pulled the door open. Her heart shouldn’t have jumped, but it did. She was that used to expecting disaster whenever Grady was around.

“Uh, hi,” he said, having the good grace to look uncomfortable for once in his life. “I didn’t want to call my sister at work, but if she has a moment, we have a slight emergency. I need her advice.”

“Never a problem,” Lex said coolly, tearing her gaze away from his rather mesmerizing one. She and Danielle knew their employees had lives. She only wished that didn’t have to include Grady Owen showing up at her back door. “I’ll get her.”

A few seconds later Annie was at the door talking to her brother. Lex hadn’t intended to eavesdrop, but as she cleared plates so that Great-granny could spread out the pink paint chips, she was close enough to hear Annie say, “Tar? No. Prewash will not get tar out of clothing.”

“Then I’m buying them new jeans,” Grady replied. “What size are they?”

“Grady, you don’t need to buy new jeans, and how in the world—”

The bell rang over the customer entrance and Annie started to turn, but Lex put a hand on her arm on her way by. “You deal. I’ll get the customer.” Annie looked torn, so Lex said, “It’s a cute guy. I don’t mind.”

She had no idea whether the customer was a cute guy or not, but Annie bought the line and continued talking to Grady while Lex went into the shop to greet the three teenagers gathered around the jewelry display. She sold two necklaces and a pair of earrings, and before she got the sale rung up, Annie was back in the shop.

“Everything okay?” Lex asked as she wrapped the jewelry in red tissue and slipped it into a brown bag with a photo of Annie Oakley on the front. Annie nodded as the girls took their purchases and left the store, debating between themselves whether to get ice cream or a hamburger next.

Once they were gone, Annie pushed the hair back from her forehead with one hand. “All I can say is that the house is still standing and no wildlife has been released in the living room today.”

“Sounds like a good day,” Lex said.

“Yes. In my world that’s an excellent day.”

* * *

GRADY LOVED HIS NIECES. They constantly surprised him, made him laugh, caused him to feel all protective. They also wore him out. After only a few days of babysitting, he realized that when he left for Hennessey’s to do his practice ride in the late afternoons, he was more exhausted than he’d been after driving twelve hours and climbing on top of a Brahma, then getting back in the truck and driving again.

Although that wasn’t the best example, because after he started making serious money, he flew to most of his events. During his off time, he lived and worked on his friend Hank Fletcher’s Oklahoma ranch. It was a job that gave him a decent paycheck and offered him the flexibility he needed to follow the circuit. He’d sent money to his sister, and sometimes she’d even accepted it; but now that he was around her and the girls more, he was kicking himself for sending a check instead of coming back. Two years hadn’t seemed like a long time, but it was. He’d missed out on a lot, and Annie, even though she was stubbornly independent—at least until a tornado turned her life around—could have used his help.

He hadn’t been thinking about anyone except for himself, and that wasn’t good. Now that he knew what was going on, had become a larger part of his nieces’ lives, he’d started crafting a plan. He was going back on the circuit, taking part in the traveling Bull Extravaganza in the fall, because that was how he earned his living, but he was no longer stationing himself in Oklahoma during the off-season. He was moving back to Gavin, taking care of his family. So when Hank called to touch base as Grady was driving home from practice, it was the perfect time to break the news to him. Hank had sounded delighted.

“So it worked out with your lady?”

Hank had met Danielle several times, and even though Grady hadn’t said anything to him, he must have deduced that Grady had thought of giving his relationship with Danielle one last shot.

“Nothing to work out. She’s getting married and the guy ain’t me.”

“Hey. Sorry to hear that.” Hank sounded genuinely shocked.

“I’m okay with it.” And he was all for moving on to the next topic. Hank, however, had a few more things to say on the matter.

“You know what this means?”

“Not really.” His tone was not encouraging, but Hank didn’t get the hint. Hank had never been a hint kind of guy.

“You need to get back out there, man. You haven’t seriously dated in how long?”

Long time. Which had been part of why he’d planned to revisit his relationship with Danielle. He’d figured that she had to be a reason he wasn’t that wild about any one particular woman. He’d been wrong.

“A while.”

“I’ll give you this. Danielle is a real looker, but it takes more than good looks to make a relationship, you know. Especially for a guy in your profession.”

“So I’m discovering,” Grady said facetiously, still trying to keep things light.

“And now that you’ve figured that out, you know what you need to do?”

Grady knew.

He needed to get back out there. “I’ll keep you posted,” he said, and even though he spoke wryly, he realized Hank was totally correct. He needed to develop a social life. A local one, since this was where he planned to live from now on.

After hanging up the phone, he dialed Jess Hayward. If anyone was going to get him back into the swing of things locally, it was a Hayward twin. Even if he didn’t find someone to hook up with, he needed to get out of the self-imposed isolation in which he’d existed since Danielle broke up with him. Yeah. He needed to meet some women. Have some fun.

Be the Grady Owen he used to be.

* * *

DANIELLE AND LEX threw a going away party for Kelly at the Shamrock Pub, two doors down from Annie Get Your Gun, after her last day of work. Curtis, Danielle’s fiancé, joined the party after getting off at the bank and soon the four of them were headed to an impromptu dinner. He was the physical opposite of Grady—tall and blond and built like the football player he’d once been. Needless to say, he was also Grady’s emotional opposite, being serious and dependable. In other words, he was better suited to Danielle in all respects, and Lex liked him.

After dinner, Danielle and Curtis made their apologies and went home, leaving Kelly and Lex sharing a bowl of molten chocolate cake as a long evening stretched in front of them.

“Are you in any hurry to get home?” Kelly asked as they left the steak house. She pulled the elastic out of her long red hair as she spoke, shaking her head so that the waves spilled around her shoulders. She was obviously getting into party mode and it was only nine o’clock, so Lex shrugged.

“My dogs might worry, but no.”

Kelly jerked her head toward the bar on the other side of the parking lot. “One for the road?”

“Sure.”

It’d been a while since Lex set foot in Shardlow’s and when they walked in, she had an instant flashback to her college days. The place was filled with cowboys and cowgirls. Loud music pulsed over the speakers, accented by the clack of pool balls on the three tables lined up side by side in an alcove. Kelly had to point to a table, since it was hard to hear over the noise.

It was quieter along the wall, and a tall bar guy appeared almost as soon as they were seated, a towel tucked into the front of his Wranglers, a smile on his handsome face. “What can I get you ladies?”

Kelly beamed up at him, and Lex began to understand the reason behind the nightcap. “A draft, please.”

“Same.” Lex waited until he was gone before meeting Kelly’s gaze across the table. “Okay. Spill.”

“Not much to spill.” She smiled cheekily. “Yet. He’s the owner’s nephew. Gus Hawkins. Just moved here from Nevada.” The drinks arrived, and Kelly started a tab. The barkeep smiled at her, and Lex had to admit that there was some chemistry behind that smile. Kelly leaned closer after he’d left. “Thank you for coming with me. You can see why I didn’t want to come here alone.”

Indeed she could. Especially with the bar in full swing. This was not the place for a woman hoping to have a few minutes with the attractive barkeep and not be hit on.

“You don’t have to stay long,” Kelly said. “I know you have things to do tomorrow. I just—” she smiled again “—wanted a taste.”

Lex laughed, wondering if she was a bad friend because she was more in the mood for home and bed than partying and was tempted to take Kelly up on her offer of not staying long.

There was a bit of a commotion toward the rear exit then, and she and Kelly glanced over simultaneously to see none other than Grady Owen and two of his high school buddies, the Hayward twins, Ty and Jess, walk in. And then she pretty much lost sight of Grady as the buckle bunnies started swarming the guys. Bull riders attracted women. That was a flat-out fact.

“You know I’m no fan of rodeo guys, but Grady’s hot,” Kelly murmured, echoing Lex’s grudging thoughts. A server happened by the group and handed each of the bull riders a beer off her tray, making Lex wonder if someone else was doing without a drink for the moment. The girl turned around and headed back to the bar. Yes, bull riders got special favors here.

“That appears to be the consensus.” Lex couldn’t argue with it, either. Grady had killer good looks and he could be charming. Even now she could see the flash of his smile from between a blonde and a redhead.

“I might go join the crowd,” Kelly said with a suggestive lift of her eyebrows.

“All you’ll do is to make a massive ego even bigger.”

Kelly laughed and Grady’s gaze came up then, zeroing in on Lex almost as if he’d heard her speak. Which was ridiculous, of course, as was the slight bump in her pulse as he started across the room toward her. A few cowgirls trailed behind him.

“Lex,” he said, raising his beer in a salute.

She mimicked his salute, then said, “You know Kelly, right?”

“Yes, ma’am.” He flashed a smile at both of them.

Oh, yeah. All country boy charm. She was about to comment, when he said on a note of sincerity, “I want to thank you for hiring my sister. She’ll do a good job for you. And thank you for letting me interrupt the other day with my twin emergency.”

Lex opened her moth, then closed it again. Nothing like a heartfelt thank-you to stop a potentially snarky conversation. She cleared her throat. “Annie will be a good fit.”

Grady smiled. “I was surprised she got the job.”

“Well,” Lex said, “the name was right.” She smiled politely at him, wanting him to leave, wanting to stop feeling this odd awareness that had appeared out of nowhere once he walked into the bar and was surrounded by women. Where had that come from? “I don’t want to keep you from your—” somehow she managed to choke back the word groupies “—friends.”

“Thank you, again,” he said, before nodding at Kelly and then heading back across the bar where Ty and Jess were busy flirting and drinking.

When Lex looked back at Kelly, she found her friend frowning at her. “Is it just me, or were there a lot of unspoken messages in that conversation?”

Lex shrugged innocently. “Just you.”

“Right.”

Lex and Kelly nursed their beers and talked for a good twenty minutes before Kelly’s bar guy came back, only he wasn’t wearing his towel apron and he was carrying three beers. Lex instantly understood what was going on and raised her eyebrows at Kelly in silent communication.

Kelly gave a smiling nod and Lex said, “I hope that beer’s not for me. I have to go.”

“I’m sure we can find it a home.” The guy held out his hand. “I’m Gus.”

“Alexa.” Lex shook hands, then got up from her chair. “I’ll see you around, Kelly. Good luck with the new job. Nice to meet you, Gus.”

“New job?” Gus said as he sat down, and Lex took the opportunity to slip away toward the rear exit leading directly to the parking lot. Cool air hit her face as soon as she stepped out the door onto the gravel. She inhaled deeply, filling her lungs with air that didn’t smell of beer and too many bodies in a close place.

“Making it an early night?”

Lex jumped a mile at the unexpected voice not far from her shoulder, then whirled to see that Grady had followed her out the door. “You scared the crap out of me.”

“You should be more aware of your surroundings.”

He took a step forward and Lex drew herself up. “Walk you to your car?” he asked.

“Truck.” She was about to say no, then realized that was exactly what he expected her to say and the contrary part of her said, “Sure, why not?”

She could see that she’d surprised him by accepting his offer and decided she liked the feeling. “I’m parked on the other side of Main near the Shamrock.”

“Long ways away,” he said as they fell into step.

“We started Kelly’s going-away party there.”

“Ah.”

They walked shoulder to shoulder, gravel crunching beneath their boots. Grady was only a couple of inches taller than her, but somehow he seemed to take over the space around them. He was that kind of guy—a bit overpowering. Lex wasn’t about to be overpowered.

“So you’re babysitting while Annie is at work.”

He smiled, shaking his head.

“Not anymore?” Had the tar incident done him in?

“Yes. I’m the sitter. I was shaking my head at how much more involved it is than I thought it would be. Quite the experience.”

Lex decided against bringing up the tar thing. She already knew that he’d insisted on buying new jeans for the girls—not one pair, but three pairs each, in different colors. “I can see how it would be. You haven’t spent a lot of time around your nieces in the past couple years, have you?” She realized how critical that sounded, which surprisingly hadn’t been her intent. “I meant—”

“No worries,” he said as they approached her truck, but his tone had cooled. “I only have them in the mornings.”

“What do you do in the afternoons?”

“Rebuild the garage, practice at Hennessey’s place.” He turned to face her as she dug the keys out of her pocket. “You should come see me practice sometime.”

Her gaze jerked up, and then she laughed. “I’m not one of your buckle bunnies.”

“Didn’t say you were.” But the way that his eyes drifted down to her lips made unexpected heat unfurl inside of her. What the heck?

She cocked her head and asked coolly, “Then why would you want me to watch you practice?”

“Since my sister works for you, it seemed like a way to make peace.”

“Me watching you?”

He smiled a little, the cockiness back. “Hey, I didn’t think you’d accept if I asked you out for a drink, so this seemed like the next best thing. You can watch me get smeared into the dirt.”

Lex smiled in spite of herself.

“I thought you’d like that,” Grady said with an easy grin, and once again she felt the prickles of awareness, the pooling of heat in her midsection. Crazy.

And he knew she was reacting to him. She could see it in the way he was smiling at her.

“How about we agree to make peace?” she asked, wondering if she moved closer if he might try to kiss her. The signals were there, and she couldn’t help speculating as to his motivation. She had to believe it was a power thing—payback for meddling in his life—and that was exactly why he wouldn’t be kissing her tonight.

“Have it your way,” he said with a smile. He patted the hood of her truck. “But if you ever reconsider that smeared-in-the-dirt thing, I’m there every afternoon from five to seven.”

Chapter Four

It was exactly five thirty when Lex parked at the end of a line of trucks at Hennessey’s, but she didn’t get out of her rig immediately. A few guys had glanced her way as she drove by, but now they were once again focused on the small arena. The arena she was in no hurry to see.

She figured she’d give the boys some time to warm up. Yes. Maybe she’d purposely miss watching Grady’s ride. The important thing was that she was there, showing him that she wasn’t afraid to take him up on what had essentially been a dare.

A dare that was costing her.

Did he know that? Was that why he’d asked her here? Because he knew it would be a very, very difficult thing for her to show up at bull-riding practice?

She hadn’t been anywhere near a rodeo or practice arena since her dad died. The heart attack could have happened anywhere, but it had happened in the middle of an arena and the sight of her dad collapsing in the dirt a few yards away from the cowboy he’d just saved was burned into her brain. After losing him, she’d had no reason to go to rodeos. No desire to go. In fact, she didn’t even like hearing about them, which was difficult, since many of her friends were competitors.

Maybe it was time to see what she was capable of. Two years had passed. She’d grieved... Yes, she could do this.

Maybe.

Darn it, she was sweating. And her hands felt as if they might be on the verge of shaking.

Taking a deep breath, she pushed open the door and stepped out, gathered her strength, walked toward the arena. The first thing that struck her was the well-remembered scent of sweaty animals, manure and dirt. The gate opened on the far side of the arena as she approached, and she heard the familiar sounds of heavy hooves hitting dirt, the grunts of the bull as he did his best to dislodge the predator on his back. Lex stopped. For a moment it was too much. She, who never ran, almost turned and walked straight back to her truck.

“Alexa! Lex!”

One of the Hayward twins—Jess, maybe?—hailed her from where he stood leaning on the fence. Her heart squeezed a little at the sight of him. Her dad had coached Jess and Ty when they first started riding in high school, and she’d often come along with him to Hennessey’s to watch.

“Hey...” Lex waited until she got a little closer and saw the small scar on his chin to say “...Ty.” She leaned on the fence next to him, watched as a red-haired guy she didn’t know picked himself up out of the dirt. The bull, who knew his job, was already on his way out the gate. She took one more deep breath, told herself to relax. Now.

“Are you here to give pointers?” Ty asked.

“I guess I am,” she lied as she caught sight of Grady at the chute. No way was she confessing she was there because of him. He looked up, caught her staring at him and touched his beat-up straw hat with two fingers. Lex’s mouth automatically tightened at the cocky gesture, but she worked it into a wry smirk of acknowledgment.

“I guess Grady’s doing the Mr. Mom thing,” Ty said.

“I’m sure he’s good at it,” Lex replied absently. He had the mentality of a kid, so he probably got along great with Annie’s twins.

“Not from what I hear.” Ty craned his neck as Grady’s bull half-reared in the chute.

“Rank one,” Lex said, settling her forearms on the sun-warmed rail. Her heart was beating faster, but she could do this. So what if she felt like puking?

“Hennessey got some new bulls in a couple days ago. This is one of them.”

Grady was talking to some kids who were hanging close to him, no doubt explaining something he was hoping to demonstrate. He gestured at the bull a couple of times, then climbed on. He took the rope, carefully closed his glove around it and pounded his fist so that the rosin beat into the leather.

Lex’s heart seemed to creep up into her throat as she watched the familiar routine. That damned glove had better come free. The rope had better not twist around it, hanging him up—

The glove came free.

Within seconds of Grady giving the signal and the gate swinging open, he was sitting in the dirt. Lex pressed the back of her hand against her mouth to keep the laughter that had bubbled up from escaping. It was pure relief, nothing to do with Grady getting smeared in the dirt, as he’d predicted. She’d just watched her first bull ride after her father’s heart attack and survived. Her heart was still beating too hard, and her stomach was still tight but she’d make it without puking or turning away. And now her nemesis was picking himself up and beating his hat on his leg to shake off the dust.

“Huh,” Ty said from beside her.

“Happens to the best of them,” Lex said, glad that the urge to laugh was, for the most part, gone. Grady’s balance had been off the instant the bull reared out of the chute, something that probably didn’t happen to him often. It was a fluke that it’d happened while she was there. No—more than a fluke. It was a gift. She hadn’t had to watch too much of a buck, and now she could leave, pride fully intact.

Grady walked back to where the high school kids were waiting and spent several minutes talking to them. The kids listened earnestly as the next bull was loaded in the chute, then laughed as Grady made a broad gesture and nodded at the next guy up. As the bull rider climbed over the rails, Grady started walking toward Lex and Ty. Lex pushed off the fence and met him halfway.

“Well, you made good on your promise.”

“Man of my word,” Grady said. Lex wanted to argue with that but realized she couldn’t. He’d always been straight with Danielle.

“You know,” Lex said as she started walking in the general direction of her truck, taking slow, deliberate steps so it wouldn’t appear as if she were in a hurry. “I could give you some pointers.”

Pure bull, because there was no way she was hanging around. She’d survived one ride but had no desire to push matters. All she wanted to do, now that she’d proven her point, was to get in her truck and drive away.

“I know what happened.”

She smiled at him, noting that his gaze held on her lips a little too long. “And that was?”

“I screwed up.”

She laughed in spite of herself. “You did.”

He gestured to her truck. “You’re pulling out already?”

She turned and leaned back against the warm metal of the bed. “I’ve seen what I came for.”

“And that’s all you wanted to see?” Again his gaze dropped to her lips, and Lex started to get the very strong feeling that she was being hit on. By Grady.

It had to be a power play. There was no other explanation. He was trying to unnerve her. When she met his eyes, he smiled at her, his cheeks creasing in a way that no doubt made the buckle bunnies swoon. Even she felt like swooning a little. Grady had charisma. In spades. And right now she felt herself responding to that charisma, which would put him firmly in the driver’s seat as they dealt with each other.

Wasn’t going to happen.

Lex took her keys out of her pocket, jingled them in her hand as she debated. Then she raised her gaze, deliberately locking it with his. When the questioning frown started to draw his eyebrows together, she stepped closer and slid her free hand around the back of his neck, pushing her fingers into his hair in a smooth caress, smiling a little as she did so. He stilled and she could read the what the? in his expression. She loved it.

His skin was warm beneath her wrist. A little damp from the late-afternoon sun, a little dusty from the arena. She registered the sensations in a fraction of a second—registered, too, that she liked those things. Then she pulled his head down and kissed him.

Grady’s eyes widened as their lips met. Even though her movements had been slow and careful, she’d taken him by surprise and she made it a point to end the kiss before he got his equilibrium back. Which was no easy trick, because once she’d had a taste of him, incredibly, she wanted more. It was all she could do to paste a careless smile on her face as she took a step back. Her heart was beating almost as hard as it had been during his ride.

“What was that?” he asked gruffly.

“That was me winning this round.” She moved past him to pull open her truck door, realizing only then that she’d been gripping the keys so tightly that there was an indent in her palm.

Конец ознакомительного фрагмента.

Текст предоставлен ООО «ЛитРес».

Прочитайте эту книгу целиком, купив полную легальную версию на ЛитРес.

Безопасно оплатить книгу можно банковской картой Visa, MasterCard, Maestro, со счета мобильного телефона, с платежного терминала, в салоне МТС или Связной, через PayPal, WebMoney, Яндекс.Деньги, QIWI Кошелек, бонусными картами или другим удобным Вам способом.